Captive gliders



Jaln. 22, 1957 .c. F. DAuwE 2,778,154

cAPTIvE GLIDERS Filed Sept. 9., 1953 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 IN VEN TOR.' kw/af /Za/rf/vrawf Jan, 22, 1957 c. F. DAUWE cAPTIvE GLIDERS I5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Sept. 9, 1953 CAPTIVE GLIDERS Filed Sept. 9, 1953 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 IN V EN TOR:

United States Patent The. present invention relates toa captive glider,.serv ing mainly as a toy, capable `of effectingrsustainedights of unlimited duration, and -kept-inlight'aby.successive pulls, communicated to it by a string or cord, for example, by a hand reel according to my copending patent application Serial No. 374,361a1ed1August 14,

Flying Toys. Each non being accompanied bya decrease .of speedfor one direction of turning and an increase of speedfor the opposite direction, thel different wing lift pressures resulting from the dierent speeds causingvariation of the effective langle of attack of a movable Aflap portion of o-ne of the wings, to such an extent that, duringadecelaration,

posite relatively fixed wing to produce a bank and turn towards the latter, whilst during..acceleration.it.` becomes suciently lower ,to produceabank and turn in the opposite direction. To this end: almost .the entirety of one of the wings is constituted by a:fl=ap\fportion capable of effecting small movementsfof rotation about a pivotal axis obliquely inclined .'withfrespecttothe longitudinal yaxis of the glider fuselage at an angle open towards the front. Thispivotal axisgXLf'X.lies;ina.vertical plane which recessesthelongitudinak:axisofwthe fuselage at a point located rearwardly of the leading edges of the wings.

Various other objects, features'and advantagesof the invention will appear upon Vreading -the following-together with -the accompanying Adrawing forming a part hereof.

"Referring to Ythe drawing:

Figure l is `a plan Viewof-a` glider-embodyingjthe invvention.

AFigure 2 is aside view-in elevation ofthe embodiment shown in Fig. v1.

Figure 3 is a front end View showing a movable flap portion of one of thewingsdepressed to -its lowermost position for banking the glider in a left turn.

Fig. 4 is a view similar'tolFig.` 3 showing the movable ap portion raised for banking the glider in a right turn.

Figure 5 is a rear perspective View of the forward portion of the fuselage.

Figure 6 is ya rear of the fuselage.

Figure 7 is a front elevational view showing the wings detached from the fuselage.

Figure 8 is a perspective view showing the wings in a folded position for enclosure in a package with other parts of the glider when the glider is not in use.

Figure 9 is an enlarged perspective view of a spring used for depressing the movable flap portion of one of the wings.

Figure 10 is an enlarged fragmentary perspective View showing the spring of Fig. 9 4assembled in a ilexible joint perspective View of the rear portion 'ing to the fact that one of ljoint 11 (Figs. 8 andlO).

`whatever be` thetension of the 2,778,154 PatentedJau-L 1,915.7

endwise to form an elongated fuselage,a ,pair of wings, and a tail structure consisting of a rudder and elevators hingedly connected together.

The rods 1 (Figs. 1 and 5) and 2 (Figs. land y,6) can tit in one another owing to a socket.3..(Fig. 5); the wings are connected together by a flexible .joint 4 (Figs.

l, 3 and 4). The tension ofthe stay is `adjustable owits'endsis xed to the end of a wing, `and the other is'ixed to a-loop 8 (Figs. 1 and 2) encircling the other wing and capable of being displaced along the latter in the direction of its lengt One of the wings is formed almost entirely by a flap by the fact that the flap is connected to the small xed partlt) (Figs. 1, 8 and 10) of the wing by a flexible The said movements enable the ap to take up positions such that its incidence ,can be greater (Fig. 3) or less (Fig. 4) than that of the .op-

posite wing. A spring 12 (Figs. 8 and 10) in the form of an open delta (Fig. 9) fixed in the joint presses the ap downwardly; it always has an excess of pfower over that required for maximum operation. The stay 7 (Figs. l, 3 and 4) draws the flap upwardly and by its .well regulated tension determines the necessary position of the llap.

An elastic 13 any part of the stayand elastic. vSpring 12 tends to depress ap portion 9gagainst the yielding tension of `an ,elastic,13, this downward movement being limited by the relatively unyielding cord or Stay 7 when the .portion of the stay 7 included between the sleeves 14 and 15 becomes taut as shownin Fig..3. When the upward -air pressure on ilap portion 9 increases duringight by pullingon a manipulating string 30, thisforces the'flap portion- 9 upwardly `againstthe action of spring 12, this upward movement being aided by elastic 13 to an extent determined by the spacing between the sleeves 14 and 15 and the portion o-f the stay 7 included between sleeves 14 and 15 slackens into a loop as shown in Fig. 4

The tail structure (Fig. 1l) comprises a rudder member 16 having a curved lower forward edge portion 17. As described below, curved edge portion 17 serves'for adjusting the angle of attack of elevator' member 13 which is hingedly connected intermediate its ends to rudder member 16 by a flexible joint 19. Secured to the projecting end portions of elevator member 18 is a loop or length of string 20 which may be passed over the inclined serrated upper edge 21 (Figs. 1 to 4) of rudder member 16 to hold the rudder member 16 erect with respect to the elevator member 1S by frictional engagement between the string and one of the notches of the serrated rudder edge Z1. The tension in string Zit and its frictional engagement with serrated edge 21 may be readily increased by moving string 213 to pass through a more rearwardly disposed notch in the upwardly inclined serrated edge 21 of rudder 16. As shown in Figs. l and 2, an` endless elastic band 22 has its end portions looped around the left side of rear fuselage member 2 at the rear thereof and between its looped end portions, the elastic band 22 engages the right hand side of rudder member 16 pressing it laterally into frictional engagement with the right hand side o-f rear fuselage member 2. By adjusting the points of contact between the forward loop of elastic band 22 and the curb'ed forward edge portion 17 of rudder member 16, the angle of attack of elevator member 1S may be adjusted before `iiight to provide the desired rate of climb as the glider is pulled forwardly by the manipulating string 3d connected to the fuselage 1, 2.

The ribs 4of the wings and of the height stabilizer' consist of two parts 23 and 24 (Fig. l2) glued against the single longitudinal 25; the edges of the wings are formed by a thread 26 (Fig. 12) iixed along the ends of the ribs 23, 243 by bending bach and gluing the edge 27 of the lower membrane. All the parts which constitute the captive glider, after taking apart and folding up may be introduced into a box whose two greatest dimensions are little more than that of a single wing.

The adjustment and operation are as follows:

Before launching the ilap is given an incidence greater than that of the opposite wing (Fig. 3), by adjustment of the tens-ion of the stay; the elastic is given a tension such that after the necessary raising of the wing (Fig. 4) the stay lieeps at its end a tension which equals and balances the excessive tension of the spring. The glider will now veer in the direction of the flap on accelera tion, 'owing to the increase of air pressure `which raises the iiap and educes its incidence, and to the opposite side on retardation, due to the reduction of air pressure, which permits the flap to recover and resume its greater incidence.

What I claim is:

l. A glider of the class described, comprising: an elongated fuselage; a tail structure at the rear of said fuselage; a pair of wings connected to said fuselage forwardly of said tail structure and extending laterally outwardly from said fuselage, one of said wings being effcctively rigid during flight and having a fixed angle of attack; pivot means included in the other of said wings intermediate said fuselage and the outer end of said other wing, said pivot means causing said other wing to include an outwardly disposed ldap portion movable about a pivotal :axis which is oblique with resp-ect to the longitudinal axis of said fuselage for changing the effective angle of attack of said other wing in response to pivotal movement of said hap portion; resilient means acting on said ilap portion and yieldingly urging said flap portion downwardly to change the effective angle of attack of said other wing with respect to said one wing and bank said glider in a turn in a predetermined direction; and

a manipulating string connected to said fuselage for pulling said fuselage through the air and increasing the air pressure beneath said ap portion, for urging said llap portion upwardly against the yielding action of said resilient means to change the effective angle of attacl-f. fof said other wing in the direction opposite to said first-named change and bank said glider in a turn directed oppositely to said predetermined direction.

2. A glider according to claim l, wherein said pivotal axis lies in a vertical plane which crosses the longitudinal axis of saidfuselage rearwardly of the leading edges of the wings.

3. A glider according to claim l, further comprising a second resilient means acting on said flap portion and ielding urging said flap portion upwardly against the action of said first-named resilient means; and means connected to one of said resilient means for adjusting the relative actions of said two resilient means for determining the amount of response of said llap portion to variations in air pressure thereon during flight.

4. A glider according to claim l, further comprising limiting means connected to said flap portion and limiting said downward movement thereof.

5. A glider according to claim 4, in which said wings are inclined upwardly and outwardly from said fuselage and wherein said limiting means comprises a stay cord extending between outwardly disposed portions of said one wing and said flap portion of said other wing, one end of said stay cord comprising a noose encircling said one wing for adjustment therealong to vary the lowermost position of said flap portion.

6. A glider according to claim 5, further comprising an elastic tension member having its ends connected between spaced points on said stay cord intermediate the ends of said cord for yieldingly maintaining a tensile force acting between the ends of said cord and urging said ap portion upwardly against the action of said firstnamed resilient means.

7. A glider according to claim 6, wherein at least one end of said elastic tension member is connected to said stay cord by securing means adjustably movable along said cord for varying the amount of said tensile force acting between said ends of said cord.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

